17 ms·

Yeah. I don't generally care too much if somebody's going a bit fast, so long as they aren't driving erratically. What does cause a lot of swearing and the occa

Yeah. I don't generally care too much if somebody's going a bit fast, so long as they aren't driving erratically. What does cause a lot of swearing and the occasional close call: - People merging on or off the highway at unsafe speeds (usually, too slow), without looking and picking a spot in traffic to merge into; - People "being polite" at intersections; - People not using their turn signals; - People cutting in traffic, swerving, cutting off other cars, tailgating, or otherwise driving too aggressively; - People trying to beat the light; - People talking on the damn phone -- I don't care who you are, you can't do that and pay full attention to the road at the same time; - People daydreaming, hanging out with their passengers, otherwise not paying attention to traffic both ahead and behind them. Fast drivers are almost the least offensive nuisance on the road.

bradleyjg 13y ago
Sure those other guys are in the wrong too. My point is that killing someone because you didn't want to take a cab home is horrific but so to is killing someone because it's fun to drive fast, to shave 15 minutes off a four hour trip, because you just have to know right now who won the packers game, or because the kids are bickering in the back seat. The resulting injury and death aren't the result of accidents but crimes. Crimes rather more serious than possessing a few grams of cocaine base I might add.
- thaumaturgy 13y ago
  > ...but so to is killing someone because it's fun to drive fast... How often do you think this happens? The NHTSA has a talking points primer for prosecutors with a few numbers on unsafe driving. The numbers are outdated, but they give us something to work with: 13,000 people were injured or killed between 1990 and 1997 because of aggressive driving -- a broad category that includes not just speeding, but also tailgating, lane changing, and improper passing. That's 2,000 people per year for that period, and since that period, the number of vehicular fatalities has fallen off of a cliff: "The 32,367 traffic fatalities in 2011 were the lowest in 62 years" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_motor_vehicle_deaths_in_U.S._by_year http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_motor_vehicle_deaths_in...). Every single time I have looked, I have been unable to find any evidence whatsoever that doing 85mph on the freeway in safe conditions significantly increases the chances of injuring yourself or others vs. doing 70 in the same conditions. Yet speeding is this one traffic behavior that people really seem to get riled up about. I have a suspicion that the actual reasons for this are that speeders tend to be unrepentant, and that it's a flagrant breaking of the law -- it's visible and people notice it more than possibly any other driving habit. Those things together seem to trigger some people's moral crusader button. I won't quite go so far as to defend speeding. I'm never the fastest driver on the road (anymore). But if someone really wants to get going about the dangers of speeding, I'll be happy to point out all of the other driving behaviors that are at least as dangerous -- probably at least one or two of which the person themselves is guilty of, as we all are.
Pxtl 13y ago
Remember to properly keep apart the annoyances vs. the dangers in your head. People being overly "polite" in intersections are merely annoying. People on the phone are going to commit negligent homicide. As a driver, it's easy to mentally group all the frustrations on the road together, when some are just annoying and some are potentially lethal.
- thaumaturgy 13y ago
  You're right. Not taking your turn at an intersection can cause a fender bender, but that's still falls under annoyances rather than real danger.

bradleyjg 13y ago

Sure those other guys are in the wrong too. My point is that killing someone because you didn't want to take a cab home is horrific but so to is killing someone because it's fun to drive fast, to shave 15 minutes off a four hour trip, because you just have to know right now who won the packers game, or because the kids are bickering in the back seat. The resulting injury and death aren't the result of accidents but crimes. Crimes rather more serious than possessing a few grams of cocaine base I might add.

thaumaturgy 13y ago
> ...but so to is killing someone because it's fun to drive fast... How often do you think this happens? The NHTSA has a talking points primer for prosecutors with a few numbers on unsafe driving. The numbers are outdated, but they give us something to work with: 13,000 people were injured or killed between 1990 and 1997 because of aggressive driving -- a broad category that includes not just speeding, but also tailgating, lane changing, and improper passing. That's 2,000 people per year for that period, and since that period, the number of vehicular fatalities has fallen off of a cliff: "The 32,367 traffic fatalities in 2011 were the lowest in 62 years" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_motor_vehicle_deaths_in_U.S._by_year http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_motor_vehicle_deaths_in...). Every single time I have looked, I have been unable to find any evidence whatsoever that doing 85mph on the freeway in safe conditions significantly increases the chances of injuring yourself or others vs. doing 70 in the same conditions. Yet speeding is this one traffic behavior that people really seem to get riled up about. I have a suspicion that the actual reasons for this are that speeders tend to be unrepentant, and that it's a flagrant breaking of the law -- it's visible and people notice it more than possibly any other driving habit. Those things together seem to trigger some people's moral crusader button. I won't quite go so far as to defend speeding. I'm never the fastest driver on the road (anymore). But if someone really wants to get going about the dangers of speeding, I'll be happy to point out all of the other driving behaviors that are at least as dangerous -- probably at least one or two of which the person themselves is guilty of, as we all are.

Pxtl 13y ago

Remember to properly keep apart the annoyances vs. the dangers in your head. People being overly "polite" in intersections are merely annoying. People on the phone are going to commit negligent homicide. As a driver, it's easy to mentally group all the frustrations on the road together, when some are just annoying and some are potentially lethal.

thaumaturgy 13y ago
You're right. Not taking your turn at an intersection can cause a fender bender, but that's still falls under annoyances rather than real danger.